The carburetor on your Toro mower may need to be cleaned when it no longer provides sufficient fuel causing your mower to run sluggish or not start at all.
Old fuel that sits in your carburetor can gum its components preventing sufficient fuel to the engine. When you are looking for a reason your Toro isn’t getting fuel, the carburetor is one of the items that should be checked out.
Symptoms of a Bad Toro Lawn Mower Carburetor
When your carburetor is dirty and no longer able to correctly regulate the fuel-to-air mixture required by your Toro mower’s engine. You could experience these symptoms:
- Engine won’t start
- Engine backfires from running lean
- Engine sputters and runs rough
- Engine surges
- Mower consumes too much fuel
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Follow all safety instructions provided in your equipment operator’s manual before diagnosing, repairing, or operating. Consult a professional if you don’t have the skills, or knowledge or are not in the condition to perform the repair safely.
10 Steps to Clean a Toro Lawn Mower Carburetor
Once you have verified you are getting fuel to the carburetor, perform one more test to give you a better indication the carburetor is your problem. Need help checking to make sure you are getting fuel to the carburetor? Check out “6 Reasons Your Toro Lawn Mower Isn’t Getting Gas“.
Before taking your carburetor apart for cleaning, remove the air filter from the air filter housing. Spray carburetor cleaner into the air intake. Start your mower. If it starts, runs, and then shuts down, you should disassemble your carburetor and clean it.
Gather Tools
- Pliers
- Screwdriver
- Socket/ratchet set
- Carburetor Cleaner
- Thick wire
- Needle nose pliers
Take Photos
It’s a good idea to take photos while taking your carburetor apart. You don’t want to start removing parts and then forget where they go. Because most people have a cell phone with a camera readily available, it is convenient to take photos before and during the tear-down process.
I recommend taking these photos even if you have a great memory. You’re better off having these photos available and not needing them over not having the photos at all.
Shut off Your Fuel Supply
Stop the fuel flow on your Toro lawn mower. Use the fuel shut-off valve located on the bottom of your fuel tank. If you don’t have a valve on your mower, crimp the fuel line.
Remove Your Throttle & Choke Cable
Detach the throttle and choke cables from your carburetor.
Remove Your Air Filter Housing
Remove the hardware that attaches the carburetor to the air filter housing so it is detached.
Remove the Springs from Your Carburetor
Slowly remove the springs from the carburetor. Do not stretch the springs or you’ll have to replace them. You may have to twist the carburetor a bit to get the springs to come off the carb.
Be careful not to rip the gasket between the engine block and the carburetor or you will have to replace it with a new gasket.
Remove the Bowl
Now locate the bowl on the bottom of your carburetor. This is the place a small amount of fuel is collected once it leaves the fuel tank. Have a rag available to soak up any remaining fuel in the bowl.
Remove the screw located at the bottom of the bowl and lower the bowl to remove it from the carburetor. You will find a gasket located between the bowl and the carburetor. It looks like a rubber band.
Do not get any carburetor cleaner or other substance on the gasket as it will ruin it. If you do, the gasket must be replaced before the bowl is reattached.
Check For Clogged Holes in the Stem
You will find a stem that hangs down in the center of your Toro carburetor. The holes in the stem can become clogged with the gumming of old fuel. With a flashlight to better see the holes, use a thick wire to unclog them.
Remove White Crusty Buildup and Gummy Deposits
Check the other components in your carburetor along with the carburetor itself for additional gumming and a white crusty buildup.
Remove the gummy deposits along with as much of the crusty material as possible using a carburetor cleaner and a clean cloth. Note: It is almost impossible to remove all the crusty material.
Reassemble Your Carburetor
Once you have finished cleaning the carburetor in your Toro lawn mower and ensured all the components are in good working order including your float needle and float, go ahead and reassemble the carburetor.
Reverse the steps you went through when you removed your carburetor. Use the photos you took earlier for reference.
Replace or Rebuild Your Carburetor When Cleaning is Unsuccessful
Sometimes cleaning your carburetor doesn’t make it carburetor function correctly. You may have small components in your carburetor that must be replaced or old fuel has caused so much damage you need to replace the carburetor.
Rebuild or replace your carburetor. You will need to have your engine model and spec available to ensure you order the correct part(s). Toro uses other manufacturers’ small engines in their mowers.
You can order a replacement carburetor or rebuild kit online, at your local Toro dealership, or at an authorized engine dealership.
Fill Your Toro Fuel Tank with Fresh Gas and a Fuel Additive
Only use good fresh gasoline in your gas-powered Toro lawn mower. Add a fuel additive like Sea Foam Motor treatment to stabilize your fuel, reduce moisture and clean the fuel system. Read more about using Sea Foam Motor Treatment as a fuel stabilizer and why it is what I use in my lawn mower.
Cleaning Your Carburetor Didn’t Solve Your Problem
If cleaning your carburetor didn’t solve your problem and you still have problems in your fuel system. Check out my article 6 Reasons Your Toro Lawn Mower Isn’t Getting Gas.
If you aren’t sure it is a fuel system problem, I have put together a list of common Toro problems and solutions where I address starting, fuel system, smoking, overheating, cutting problems, and more. You can find it at Common Toro Lawn Mower Problems & Solutions.
Still Having Problems with Your Toro Lawn Mower?
It would be great to own a problem-free lawn mower, but it’s never the case. No matter what brand mower you own, you’re going to run into problems the longer you own it.
To help you troubleshoot your mower problems, I have put together a list of common problems along with causes and solutions to fix them. Check out Common Toro Lawn Mower Problems and Solutions to learn more.